I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack! Did ya miss me? No? Really? Oh... Well... This is awkward... No it's fine... I'm not crying. No. My eyes are just really sweaty.

Contrary to popular belief, I did not die. I was just very, very busy. But now I have free time! YAY! *CONFETTI*

I'd like to give HUGE thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the previous story in this trilogy "Fellowship is Magic"! If you haven't read that... Well... I suggest you do... You might just be a little bit confused by all this pony nonsense. Also, I am working on other stories at the moment, but this is my primary one! My Little Pony and Lord of the Rings come first. Also, also... I'd like to thank Carysma, who helps me with story plots and junk. Couldn't do this without her. :)

ALSO ALSO ALSO... HFDHSFELFGEUGL. Just wanted to say that. So... yeah. I don't own anythang. Yeah. With out much further ado...

Chapter One: Foundations of Harmony

The dull morning sky was illuminated by the pale morning light; flooding the peak of the mountains. But there was no warmth. The comfort the sun once provided was slowly drifting away, until there would be nothing. The journey for the Hobbits and Ponies had certainly taken a toll in more than one way. The mist that shrouded the mountain let no sunlight pervade it's dense cloak. It clung to every rock. Yet, the company moved forward, determination set in their minds. There was a task at hand, and they swore that it would be done.

It was easy to see how much the ring had started effecting the four, as there was no time for mirth. The gloom of the mountain pass of Emyn Muil did not help either.

Applejack sighed. This quest was harder than she had thought. They seemed to grow more weary with every step they took toward the fiery chasms of Mordor. She had been given watch duty while the other three slept quietly.

It had been three days since the breaking of the fellowship, yet the gold pony found her heart aching at the the thought of her friends. She wondered if they were safe. She couldn't bear to think of what might have happened to them. With another sigh, she turned and looked at the three behind her, surprised to see Frodo fidgeting slightly, erratically mumbling incoherent words. 'Poor li'l hobbit's havin' a nightmare...' She thought. Her concern grew as his words became louder.

"Gandalf!" Frodo yelled, jarring awake. He gasped, wide panicked eyes, searching for danger.

At the sound of his master's scream, Sam bolted upright, along with Rainbow Dash. "What is it, Mr. Frodo?" He asked placing a hand on the other Halfling's shoulder.

As his breathing calmed, he turned to his allies. "Nothing... It was only a dream..."

"Y'know," Began Rainbow Dash, as the four of them carefully made their way around the sharp rocks. "If my wing wasn't broken and useless, I could've flew all the way to Mordor and back in-"

"Ten seconds flat, we know!" Applejack snapped, growing tired of the pegasus-pony's constant bragging.

The two hobbits ahead of them ignored their quarreling, keeping their gazes forward. Thunder rumbled in the distance; dark, evil clouds loomed over the fiery peak. That's where their path would lead them.

"Mordor," Sam began, a serious look on his round face. "The one place in Middle-Earth we don't want to see any closer, and it's the one place we're trying to get to. It's just where we can't get."

Each of them turned to him.

"Let's face it, we're lost."

They were indeed lost. It was as if the entire mountain just took you in circles until your very sanity was shredded from you.

"I don't think Gandalf meant for us to come this way..."

The mention of Gandalf brought pain to Frodo's heart. He knew no amount of wishing or hoping would bring his wizard friend back. "He didn't mean for a lot of things to happen, Sam... But they did."

The days wore on, the labyrinth never seeming to end. A feeling of dread filled the air, everyday growing more and more forlorn. It didn't seem to be that they were getting any closer to their destination. Applejack tried her best to lift their spirits, no thanks to Rainbow Dash's moping about her wing. She just couldn't make people laugh and smile the way Pinkie Pie did. "I cain't believe I'm sayin' this but," Applejack chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "I could use one of Pinkie's songs right about now."

Sam laughed lightly, but Frodo only gave a small smile.

"Well this looks familiar..." Sam said quietly.

Frodo's heart fell. "It's because we've been here before! We're going in circles!" He cried.

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Pffft. Way to go Applejack. Nice leading you're doing. If I had my wing, we would be in the right direction."

The golden pony's eyes narrowed. "What in tarnation? This ain't my fault! And shut your smug little mouth about your wing before I-"

"Enough!" Sam said, holding his hand up, noticing Frodo's distressed expression. Their incessant bickering did not help their trek across the mountain pass.

The rest of the afternoon portion of the journey was taken in silence, neither pony wanting to disturb the hobbits. There was a foul stench upon the air. At first it was tolerable, but now it grew to be almost unbearable. Finally, Sam spoke up.

"Ugh, what's that horrid stink?" He asked, wrinkling his face.

"Weeeeee-ew! That's bad..." Applejack added, bringing a hoof to her nose, attempting to block the intruding smell.

"Can you smell it?" Sam asked Frodo.

"Yes," The Hobbit replied, scanning the area, searching for any source of the scent. A feeling of foreboding came over him. He turned to his companions. Quietly, he said, "We're not alone."

"Rarity!" Pinkie Pie gasped, diving behind a rock. "Get down! They'll see you!" She slowly poked her head out, only to see that her unicorn friend wasn't following her advice. "PSSSSST!"

The white Unicorn shook her head. "Pinkie, dearest, sneaking isn't helping! We have to hurry to catch up to them! It's wasting precious time!"

Her words didn't seem to help at all. Pinkie Pie just sped to the next rock, covering her head. She claimed that sneaking up on the orcs was the best way to get the Hobbits back. "But if they know that we're coming, we won't be able to have the element of surprise!" With that, Pinkie threw her hooves in the air, blasting a stream of confetti.

A sigh escaped Rarity. "We're loosing them now! See?" Sure enough, Pinkie could no longer see the band of Uruks in front of them.

"I guess you're right..." The pink pony finally said, feeling sad about her Hobbit friend. "I can't see them either... But I can smell them! They went this way!" Suddenly, as if her sense was knocked into her, she stood on her hind legs, placing her hooves on her hips. "We have to save them! Pinkie and Rarity to the rescue!"

Before Rarity could respond, the bright pink pony zoomed ahead. With a sigh, she followed, trying not to fall behind.

The thundering sound of heavy Uruk feet, and the growls coming from them were the only things Merry and Pippin could hear. The bonds on their hands began to dig into their skin, only adding to the amount of pain they already felt.

Pippin's heart felt heavy at the thought of all that had happened within the past day. It was all too much. Glancing over at his friend, he found that he was unmoving. He tried everything to wake him up. "Merry!" He called quietly. "Merry!"

Suddenly, the group of Uruk-Hai stopped, giving Pippin time to check on Merry.

Another group of smaller creatures, similar in appearance to the Uruk's came from behind the rocks ahead. "You're late!" The one in front snapped angrily. "Our master grows impatient! He wants the shire-rats now!"

Ugluk, the lead Uruk, towered above them all, his voice held a mocking tone. "I don't take orders from Orc maggots!"

The orc's glare grew, a low growl coming from his throat.

"Saruman will have his prize! We will deliver them!"

Pippin's calls to Merry were finally starting to work. He wasn't dead! The Brandybuck next to him groaned in pain, causing Pippin's face to once again be filled with worry. Frantically searching around, he saw the Uruk behind him drinking out of a canteen. "My friend is sick!" He pleaded, ignoring the growls coming from their captors. "He needs water!"

Ugluk pushed through the group. "Sick is he?" He asked, a sadistic tone tainting his words. "Give him some medicine boys!"

They all laughed as the Uruk behind Merry forced his mouth open. The hobbit immediately began gagging as soon as the burning, sticky liquid touched his lips "Can't take his draught!" Ugluk laughed.

"Stop it!" Pippin shouted. "Leave him alone!"

"You want some, eh?" He snarled.

The young Hobbit shook his head, terrified.

"Then keep your mouth shut." With that, Ugluk returned to front of the band.

Pippin's attention was caught by small movement from the Halfling next to him. "Merry!"

Merry groaned, turning his head. "Hello Pip!" He gave a weak smile.

"You're hurt!"

A languid laugh escaped Merry. "See? Fooled you too..."

Pippin's face was etched with worry.

"Don't worry about me Pip..."

One of the Uruks stopped, sniffing the air. He scanned the area. Ugluk turned to face him. "What is it? What do you smell?"

"Horse flesh!" He growled.

Those words fell upon sensitive ears. Promise raised within Pippin's heart. "Pinkie Pie!" He whispered hopefully.

"They've picked up our trail! Let's move!"

The loud, heavy steps continued once more. Pippin searched his mind for an idea. He had to do something. If Pinkie Pie was truly looking for them, then this would surely help. Without any hesitation, he bit down on the Leaf of Lórien on his cloak, tore it off, and spat it to the ground.

Aragorn lowered himself to the ground, ordering that his company remain quiet. The familiar thumping sound of the distant footsteps was all he needed. He raised his head, watching the land before them. "Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent." He stood at his full height starting to run. "Hurry!"

Twilight Sparkle followed close behind, being sure not to lose the Ranger. She ignored her aching legs and muscles. Those Uruks had four of her friends, and she would not rest until they were caught! The anger she felt toward them fueled her gallop.

The blonde elf Legolas ran close behind both, Ditzy Doo just hovering above their heads. "Come on Gimli!" he yelled behind him. "We are gaining on them!"

Gimli followed, or tried to at least. The weight of his armor, plus the baby dragon sitting happily on his head was starting the feel a lot heavier than usual. "Three days and nights pursuit." He wheezed. "no food. No rest. And no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell!"

"You can do it Gimli!" Ditzy cheered.

They ran as fast as they could, desperately trying to catch the band of Uruk-Hai. They couldn't tire at this point. It was crucial that they kept going.

A small glint on the ground caught Ditzy's attention when the company stopped. "Shiny!" She said dreamily, floating to the object of interest. "Pretty..." She added, with a goofy grin.

Twilight galloped to Ditzy, looking quizzically at the small green leaf. 'Where have I seen that before?' She thought, giving a frustrated snort. She felt ashamed for forgetting.

Aragorn rushed over, gently nudging the filly out of the way. He recognized the broach anywhere. He gingerly picked up the small green leaf, examining it in his hands. A new feeling of hope rose within him. "Not idle do the Leaves of Lórien fall." He stated, motioning to Legolas.

The elf moved to him. "They may yet be alive!"

"Less than a day ahead of us! Come on!" Aragorn said, starting to run again.

A loud ruckus came from behind them; Gimli had tripped on the hill, also launching poor Spike into a nearby patch of grass. "Sorry, my friend..." he mumbled, picking up the baby dragon, who simply glared as he was put back on Gimli's helm. The dwarf began running again. "I'm wasted on cross-country! We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!" He called out.

Over the top of the hill, they saw the land stretch out before them. Rocks dotted the ground, big and small, far as they eye could see. The distant mountains were only barely visible. Twilight Sparkle gasped at the vastness. She didn't think she could run any more. Panting, she looked to her company. "What is this place?" She asked.

"Rohan, my little pony," Aragorn said, stoically scanning the horizon. "Home of the horse lords."

"Will we find our friends here?" Ditzy asked sadly.

Aragorn did not answer. "Something strange is at work here... Some evil gives speed to these creatures..." He pondered aloud.

Legolas sprinted forward, with Ditzy flying close behind. He looked desperately for any sign of the Halflings or ponies.

"Look at all the rocks!" Ditzy said in awe, with a smile.

The elf gave a slight nod, though not encouraging her thoughts. "Yes, Úthaes. Rocks."

"Legolas!" Aragorn called after them. "What do your elf eyes see?"

Suddenly, the elf's eyes filled with worry. "The Uruks turn northeast! They're taking them to Isengard!"

"And Pinkie and Rarity are gaining on them!" Ditzy said happily, spinning in lazy circles in the air.

"What do you mean gaining on them?" Gimli asked.

"Are they not with them?" Aragorn added, glancing to Legolas.

Legolas squinted, eyes searching the stretches of land. Sure enough, his eyes caught the bouncing bright pink blob of Pinkie Pie followed by the smoother gait of Rarity. "'Tis true! They are the following the Uruks as we are!" His gaze turned to Ditzy, feeling a sense of admiration for his giften companion.

"This is good news!" Aragorn said, smiling despite the situation.

Twilight Sparkle felt relieved. Pinkie and Rarity weren't as helpless as she had thought! She would need to remember to write Princess Celestia about this. Sometimes when you think someone needs saving, they're really the ones being the heroes... No... That's no good. She'd have to think about that before she put it on paper.

A/N: YAY! First chapter! *MORE CONFETTI*

P.s. Review! It's free! :D